Thomas Buck's new book

[CurtisR]

Just received my copy today from Amazon and it's very well done. Shows 24 styles (and how to 'do' them), as well as lots of other info.

I also picked up this little tobacco pouch clasp today - not brilliant work but 'neat'. I believe it shows the "never ending money bag" (or some similar concept). Price was decent and I liked the design....

 

 

Curtis

[Guido]

For those who are as puzzled as I am, here's the link: http://www.amazon.com/Art-Tsukamaki-Tho ... 176&sr=1-2

[CurtisR]

Thanks for posting the link Guido - forgot to do that. And it's worth the price, believe me (if you've ever tried Tsukamaki or plan to, anyway).

 

Curtis

[drdata]

I have found his website to be very useful. I think I need to pick this one up.

 

Thanks

[Henry Wilson]

I think the tobacco clasp represents Hotei's sack:

 

  Quote

Budai (Chinese: 布袋; pinyin: Bùdài), pronounced Hotei in Japanese,[1] Bố Đại in Vietnamese, is a Chinese folkloric deity. His name means "Cloth Sack,"[1][2] and comes from the bag that he is conventionally depicted as carrying. He is usually identified with (or as an incarnation of) Maitreya Buddha, so much so that the Budai image is one of the main forms in which Maitreya Buddha is depicted in East Asia.[2] He is almost always shown smiling or laughing, hence his nickname in Chinese, the Laughing Buddha (Chinese: 笑佛; pinyin: xiào​fó).[1][3] Many people confuse Budai with Gautama Buddha.

 

Check out wiki:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budai

[CurtisR]

Thank you Henry - Hotei! That was who I was trying to remember...I think you're probably dead-on.

 

Curtis

[Mark T]

Hotei's sack is known as 'Nunobukuro'. More on both here at the irrepressible Mark Schumacher's site: http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/hotei.shtml

 

Back on topic: thanks for the lead, Curtis. Will pick up a copy.

 

Cheers,

 

Mark T